The Portland daily press., 1887-01-26
STEAM FROM THE BOILER.
A New Way by Which to Heat Rail-
road Trains,
Without the Danger Of Fire After an
Accident
The Trial of the sewaiI company's
Apparatus.

yesterday afternoon, upon the invitation
OF the officers of the Sewall Safety Car
Heating Company, party composed of rep
resentatiyes of the press of this city and 9TH
ers, went to South Gardiner on the Bangor
train which leaves Portland at !. 25 p. m At
South Gardiner the party boarded 'Jewett's
train," and during the run back to Portland
were given an opportunity to see the steam
heating apparatus of the Sewall Company in
operation, three of the ears on this train hay-
ing been satisfactorily heated by the new
system for nearly two weeks. The follow
ing gentlemen were among the party. TT.
w. Richardson, editor of the Advertiser.
W. II. Smith. editor of the Express; G. O.
Bailey, editor Of the Sunday Times; Capt.
Horatio Hight, J. I. Woodward, Mr.. Brig
ham, and F. Fl. Haskell of the Maine Cen
tral railroad. The company was represented
by d. ID. Sewall, vice president and general
manager, Charles b. Strout secretary and
treasurer, James II. Sewall, mechanical SUI
perintendent, and j. B. Curtis, one of the
board of directors.
During the trip, the cars remained at a
temperature of 20 degrees, and the air was
remarkably fresh and pure The apprecia-
ton with which the public already regard
the heating was shown by the fact that the
cars containing the apparatus were crowded
while the occupants of the other ears were
so few that they could scatter their chattels
over half dozen seats apiece without
troubling anybody. Since the cars have
been heated by the Sewall apparatus, there
have been some Of the coolest DAYS of the
winter and some of the warmest days of a
January thaw; but through it all the cars
have been kept at temperature of about 20
degrees.
THE HISTORY OF THE INVENTION.
The Sewall car heating apparatus is the
result of many years of study. Mr.. d. ID.
Sewall had been thinking of the ADVISABLE
ty and proper way to heat railroad cars so as
to obviate the danger of conhagration for
some time before the Astabula accident
That and succeeding railroad horrors gave
an impetus to his WORK. He believed that to
safely heat the ears of train, steam taken
from the boiler Of the engine should be used.
Mr.. Sewal's brother, Mr.. James III. Sewall
thorough machinist and for years the as
sistant master machinist of the Grand Trunk
Railway, set to work to solve the problem
and the details of the system in use on Jew
ett's tram, are the result Of his skill and in
ventive power.
Three years ago trial of the heater was
made on the Maine Central, and its owners
regarded its future usefulness as demonstra-
ted by the experiment. Necessary altera-
tons and additions were made in the appar-
atus SO that this year it was thought in shane
to do its work. Some time ago, a baggage
car, smoking car and passenger car from the
Maine Central road were fitted with the
neater at the Portland Company's Works.
One Sunday locomotive No. 90 was fixed so
that steam could be drawn from it to warm
the cars, the work being done by Mr.. ]. III.
Sewall and his assistants in about two hours.
linen everything was ready and the engine
ana cars have been running ever since. the
heater doing its work in excellent shape.
The company owning the heater is the
Sewall Safety Car Heating Company. Its
capital stock is 100000. The following
are the officers:
President-Bon Bradbury.
ID. Sewall.
Secretary ana Treasurer Charles h. Strout.
".
Is. Strout, Portland; Daniel b. Sewall. Angl,sta
Portland. o0AA - 0uisiS'
THE APPARATUS.
AS has been stated, the steam for heating
the cars comes comes from the engine, being
taken from the steam dome on the boiler and
boiler head, thence through the foot board
OF the engine. A small globe valve. one
mo- a an i .h In diameter controls the open
requires about dozen turns of the handle,
yesterday the cars were kept at a proper
temperature with the valve opened by only
one-eighth OF one turn. This means that the
eai.S was removed from the seat, against
of an inch - Va
Between the engine and tender the steam
passes through rubber steam hose lined
with yulcanite rubber. the interior diameter
ri 9I tne nose Delng one and one-half inches.
linen under the tender comes an iron pipe
one and one quarter inches in diameter and
surrounded ~ coating of asbestos one inch
thick to keep out the cold. Atthe rear end
Oh the tender and at each end of the cars are
pieces OF flexible steam hose. When the
Train Is made up, these sections of hose are
coupled together by an automatic coupler
which is patented by the Sewall company.
Inis coupler Is so made that it cannot be-
come uniastened unless the cars are sepa-
Tated, Wnen 1t Is automatically disconnected.
:
pounds without leaking.
=, Under each car is pipe like that under
the tender. AT the centre of the car is q
peculiarly constructed valve forming the
connection between this supply pipe under
tne car ana the radiating pipes inside. Dan
ger OF an unsklllful manipulation of the
valve SO that the steam might be stopped in
us tourney TO the rear cars is rendered i'm
possible. The amount of steam to be admit
ted 10 the radiating pipes can be controlled
at Will but there is no way to keen the steam
from escaping at the end of the car or pass
ing into the car behind. The same valve
connects with hot well or auxiliary boiler
under the car. The condensed water is car
rled INTO this auxiliary boiler and in case of
an accident rendering it impossible to get
steam 1rome the engine, fire can be built in
the nre box beneath the boiler and the car
Kept warm. On the auxiliary boiler is an in
genlous steam trap for the purpose of allow
loss of steam.
At the rear end of the last car is the es-
cape pipe for the surplus and waste steam.
All one sees of the apparatus In the cars. are
the gilded tenders behind which run the
pipes beneath the seats and the valve in the
centre of the floor which regulates the heat.
Inc pressure in the pipes is very small, and
the steam after passing through the cars, es-
capes into the air outside. In an accident
the connection with the engine would be
broken and the steam in the pipes would es-
cape. IL Is claimed that the apparatus can
be easily managed by the train men.
CONDUCTOR Jewctt, Engineer Bracket and
otner railroad men who have seen the heater
are very much pleased with its working.
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